BC-SD--South Dakota Weekend Exchange Digest, SD

AP-South Dakota stories for Nov. 24 and Nov. 26. Members using Exchange stories should retain bylines and newspaper credit lines. If you have questions, please contact the desk at 605-332-3111.

For use Saturday, Nov. 24, and thereafter.

EXCHANGE-HUNTING’S DARK SIDE

DALLAS, S.D. — Pheasant hunting season was once a homespun South Dakota tradition. But increasingly it is a commercial enterprise, one that comes with a dark side: sex trafficking and pop-up strip clubs that cater to hunters here for a good time. The hunting season’s dark side stands in stark contrast to South Dakota’s friendly, clean-cut image. It can be easy to overlook by small farm towns that increasingly rely on hosting a flood of rich pheasant hunters to offset losses from troubled agricultural markets. By Jeremy Fugleberg, Argus Leader. SENT IN ADVANCE: 2821 words.

EXCHANGE-REGENERATIVE AG

ARLINGTON, S.D. — Jonathan Lundgren preaches the benefits of regenerative ag whenever he gets a chance. Lundgren is a former USDA scientist who left the agency after he said supervisors tried to restrict his research on pesticides. Regenerative agriculture is the approach to farming built around four basic rules: Never till the soil; use cover crops so soil is never bare; grow a more diverse mix of plants and graze livestock on fields after harvest or before planting. The movement developed amid concerns that traditional farming is mining the soil, which leads to poor soil health, reduced biodiversity and overuse of insecticides on crops. By Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio News. SENT IN ADVANCE: 1133 words.

For use Monday, Nov. 26, and thereafter.

EXCHANGE-DOGS FOR VETERANS

RAPID CITY, S.D. — After Chuck Brookens and his dog, Finn, walked on to a dock at Canyon Lake Park on a recent Friday, he bent down to comfort the nervous puppy, who is afraid of heights. While in this instance Brookens was the one caring for Finn, it’s Finn who is being trained as a professional service dog so he can comfort and help his owner, who has post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Iraq War. Brookens, a 35-year-old Rapid City resident, bought Finn after Tom Vallette of the Veterans Service Office at Pennington County told him about the office’s new initiative that connects veterans with service dogs. By Arielle Zionts, Rapid City Journal. SENT IN ADVANCE: 632 words.

EXCHANGE-WELCOME FAMILIES

YANKTON, S.D. — The Yankton campus of Mount Marty College (MMC) is seeing a rich diversity of culture. At the start of the fall semester, the college welcomed 17 new international students from: Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Republic of Georgia, Serbia, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. While MMC has welcomed international students before, this is the first time so many have come at once. With this influx, MMC administrators decided to try a new program in which Yankton community members act as “welcome families” to these students, helping them integrate into the community and acting as surrogate parents. By Reilly Biel, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan. SENT IN ADVANCE: 1659 words.